Set Review: Rivals of Ixalan

I hope you enjoy reading my notes for recent sets. I am a terrible Limited player. My focus is on Johnny fun deckbuilding. I am not a competitive player. It is very hard to review cards in a vacuum, and when I look back at my previous reviews, I have been laughably wrong about busted cards like Aetherworks Marvel (I stated it required too much setting up... what was I thinking?!). Enjoy!

Blood Sun: Nice! If Wizards wants to make Red more than just Red Deck Wins, it's cards like this one that are needed. I love it. It's not as oppressive and over-powered as Blood Moon (2R Enchantment Nonbasic lands are Mountains.), yet it is really, really good. It hoses some of the strongest lands in Magic, right?

Bombard: Meant for Limited.

Brass's Bounty: If you have this much mana to play this card, you don't need to play this card, but if you do, and you want to play it, it;s a fun play.

Brazen Freebooter: Nice mana fixing help in Limited.

Buccaneer's Bravado: Limited battle trick.

Charging Tuskodon: Interesting. Double Strike, but only against your opponent. I like it. Someday, I hope we have a keyword for this effect and also that we have more creatures with this effect.

Daring Buccaneer: Nice casting bonus for going Pirate tribal.

Dire Fleet Daredevil: Interesting effect. Even though it can be cast early, it will likely have more targets, perhaps better targets, in the mid to late game.

Etali, Primal Storm: It's a really powerful effect in multiplayer. Say you have three opponents in Commander: that's three cards you can cast with this effect. That can get absurd quickly.

Fanatical Firebrand: This type of card is always interesting and fun to play. It's a sugar high to hit your opponent for one.

Forerunner of the Empire: Nice tutor effect. The ping for one is optional, and also hits all creatures, including yours.

Form of the Dinosaurs: Another fun 'wall of text' junk rare. I love these. If you make it far enough to cast this, you can take out really big threats with it. I would pack some lifegain, though. It's interesting. It is making me think of a White/Red lifegain deck that neiutralizes your opponent's creatures to stall the game.

Frilled Deathspitter: Nice ping bonus in Limited.

Goblin Trailblazer: Menace is always good, even on Limited filler.

Mutiny: This can be a really lucky hit if both creatures have the same power.

Needletooth Raptor: Another interesting critter. Hearthstone has a card that deals 1 damage to every creature. We need such a card to make Enrage awesome. Dual Shot (R Instant Dual Shot deals 1 damage to each of up to two target creatures.) and Rain of Blades (W Instant Rain of Blades deals 1 damage to each attacking creature.) are the best we have. We don't have a card that hits only your creatures.

Orazca Raptor: Good for the Limited creature count.

Pirte's Pillage:That's not bad. I would discard a land I don't need mid to late game.

Reckless Rage: You can take something out and Enrage one of your creatures at the same time. It reads like a versatile card.

Rekindling Phoenix: Nice recursion. Your opponent will have to take the token out at some point. Otherwise, this creature will keep coming back. It will have summoning sickness every time you recast it.

See Red: Casual booster.

Shake the Foundations: If you make sure none of your Enrage creatures have Flying, and your opponent is not packing Enrrage, this can be your Enrage trigger. And it draws you a card. What's not to like?

Shatter: Reliable tool from the core sets. This artwork is awesome!

Silverclad Ferocidons: A little too heavy to be playable, but these days Standard is about one turn slower than it used to be. There's always Commander.

Stampeding Horncrest: Useful in Limited Dinosaurs.

Storm Fleet Swashbuckler: A common bear 99 percent of the time.

Sun-Collared Raptor: This is a great common. Yes, the most you will likely get to boost it is once, but if this thing makes it to a late game and can be boosted twice, that's a 7/2 with Trample. I know, I know... very unlikely, like Ascend.

Swaggering Corsair: Reasonable in Limited. It does not have evasion.

Tilonalli's Crown: I love it. This is the Enrage enchantment we all need. It will trigger it only once, and that may be enough.

Tilonalli's Summoner: If you hit Ascend, this is awesome; and if you don't, it's not even a bear.